Monday, October 31, 2011

THE PIT BULL WAS SHOT, A COP AND THE DOG'S OWNER WERE RUSHED TO THE HOSPITAL, AND A POLICE HORSE NAMED "AAA ANDY" WAS BADLY HURT BUT ALIVE.
POLICE SGT. SPEAKS: "I THINK THIS JUST GOES TO THE BASIC UNPREDICTABILITY OF CERTAIN BREEDS OF DOGS. THE DOG WAS FRENZIED."

November 24, 2003 - The chaos started at 12:50 p.m. as a young woman walked her black pit bull through the park near the Conservatory of Flowers. According to San Francisco police, she made an illegal and costly decision: She let the dog off its leash.

Witnessing the move was police Sgt. David Herrera of the department's mounted unit. He shouted at the woman, ordering her to re-leash her canine, said Sgt. Neville Gittens, a department spokesman.

That's when the dog turned its attention to Herrera's steed.

The pit bull charged AAA Andy, ripping at the horse's flesh on its back legs and its rib cage, Gittens said. The dog's owner, whose name was not released, tried to intervene. That's when things got really bad.

With the dog snapping away, AAA Andy threw Herrera to the ground. At about the same time, the dog's owner attempted to pull her pet away from the horse. But when she got close, AAA Andy kicked her in the face with a hind leg, Gittens said.

She went down, joining Herrera. "Then the horse takes off running," Gittens said.

AAA Andy galloped through the park along John F. Kennedy Drive, with the pit bull close behind.

About a half-mile away, near the Eighth Avenue/Fulton Street entrance to the park, another police sergeant got involved. Sgt. Peter Dacre of San Francisco's Richmond Station had heard Herrera's radio calls for help.

Seeing a park gardener and another citizen approaching the riderless AAA Andy, the uniformed Dacre climbed out of his car to help settle down the jumpy horse.

"The dog started having another go at the horse. I was between the horse and the dog, and I tried to kick (the dog)."

It was no use. Dacre said he unholstered his .40-calibre semiautomatic Beretta pistol and ended the attack with two shots -- one of which struck the pit bull and sent it scurrying into nearby bushes.

Both Herrera and the dog owner were rushed to St. Mary's Medical Center. Herrera went home in a few hours with back and neck injuries. The woman was treated for head injuries and a broken finger, Gittens said.

Meanwhile, the dog survived the bullet wound and was picked up by Animal Care and Control. Its condition was unknown Sunday night.

AAA Andy was being treated for puncture wounds late Sunday at the police stables in Golden Gate Park.

Herrera, reached at home Sunday night, declined comment.

Police will review the dog's history to see if it has ever been involved in other attacks. Then police will decide whether to cite or charge the dog's owner, Dacre said.

"I think this just goes to the basic unpredictability of certain breeds of dogs," he said. "The dog was frenzied. The whole thing lasted about 45 seconds."

October 31, 2011 - A traumatic attack by a stray and unlicensed pit bull resulted in the death of a beloved pet and over $2,500 in medical bills. We continually read about the many injuries and deaths caused by these dogs, and it's time for something to be done.

Some cities have banned them, and others have strict rules regarding pit bulls. Refer to the website: http://dogsbite.org/ a national dog bite victims' group dedicated to reducing serious dog attacks.

How many injuries or deaths does it take to bring this to the attention of our city and state officials?

Perhaps The Arizona Republic could research the various laws regarding these dangerous dogs in other cities and states. The power of the press usually wakes up the public and our officials.

October 30, 2011 - The owner of a dog which fatally mauled a four-year-old girl to death has been charged.

Ayen Chol was killed on August 17 when a pit bull entered the St Albans house where she was staying.

Police have charged a 57-year-old St Alban’s man on summons under the Domestic Animals Act.

A police spokeswoman said the man was charged to appear at the Sunshine Magistrate’s Court on December 6 in relation to the attack.

"He has been charged with eight offences under the Domestic Animals Act,’’ she said.

The charges include owning a dog which attacks a person causing death, two counts of owning a dog which attacks a person causing serious injury, three counts of owning a dog that chases/worries a person, owning a dog found at large and failing to register a dog.

"AT TIMES I THINK THERE ARE MORE PIT BULLS THAN THERE ARE PEOPLE IN THIS CITY. BREEDING IS BIG BUSINESS AND YOU ARE TAKING SOMEBODY'S CASH COW AWAY !!!" "THEY CARRY THEIR WEAPONS NOT TO PROTECT THEMSELVES FROM MUGGERS BUT FROM PIT BULLS."

WILMINGTON'S LAW WAS ENACTED IN 2000. THAT CAUSED COMPLAINTS TO DROP. BUT THEY HAVE RESURFACED A DECADE LATER. INSTANCES WITH PIT BULLS HAPPEN THAT DON'T SEEM TO INVOLVE OTHER BREEDS.

October 30, 2011 - WILMINGTON CRACKS DOWN ON ILLEGAL PIT BULLS

In Wilmington, it's not uncommon for residents to be armed when they walk their dogs.

Some carry large sticks. Others make sure to have flashlights. For Ken Swann, it's bear spray -- a substance similar to pepper spray that can shoot farther and is more potent.

"I will not give up this park," Swann said about Wilmington's Canby Park, where he walks his red poodle, Gimli, and Hobbit, his bichon frise. "We kowtowed to them before. We're not doing it again, and there is a whole lot of people out here that are refusing to give back the park."

Swann and the others say they carry their weapons not to protect themselves from muggers but from pit bulls whose numbers police say have increased in the city, the only municipality in the state with a law regulating how the breed is handled by owners while outdoors.

The increase in the number of pit bulls running freely also motivated police to more actively enforce the legislation that was enacted more than a decade ago.

So far, police -- who have teamed with animal control from the Delaware Society for the Prevention of Cruelty to Animals since Sept. 15 -- have seized 39 pit bulls. Most of the seizures occurred because officers saw people walking dogs that were not muzzled or on a leash as required by the law.

The law was enacted in 2000 to curb problems that Wilmington residents were having with the breed, including dog fighting, dogs that needed to be shot after they threatened neighborhoods and children being attacked as they waited for school buses. In one case, it took 300 stitches to reattach a 4-year-old boy's ear after a pit bull ripped it off.

At that time, problems with pit bulls accounted for at least one-fourth of all animal complaints in Wilmington in the three years before the law was enacted -- far more than for any other type of animal.

SPCA officers -- accompanied by Wilmington police officers -- began searching for pit bulls throughout Wilmington and confiscating unregistered dogs anywhere they were found, including in yards and with their owners. Eleven pit bulls were seized in the first few hours of the law's enforcement on July 25, 2000.

That caused complaints to drop. But they've resurfaced a generation later.

Wilmington police Master Cpl. George Collins attributes the increase to several factors. Among them is that police stopped patrolling with SPCA officers after their initial success. That, coupled with a new generation of pit bull owners who are unfamiliar with the law and new patrol officers who are unfamiliar with past practices, allowed the issue to return.

"It's one of these problems that steadily grows to the point where it's getting out of control now," said Collins, who added many of the pit bulls in the city are being used as status symbols by people wanting to make themselves look tough.

Collins brought his concerns about the greater number of pit bulls to Police Chief Michael Szczerba, who authorized a return to the SPCA and police teams.

Swann, whose poodle, Peaches, was attacked by three pit bulls in 1994, said he is glad to hear of the increased enforcement. But Swann and his wife, Becky, who still has flashbacks after witnessing their older poodle being attacked, said he will continue carrying a weapon.

"The law can't take care of you, but we can," he said.

Disconcerting incidents:

Wilmington resident Sandy Pietock, 38, was walking her Yorkie one summer morning when she noticed a pit bull about a block and a half away.

Because her dog was previously attacked by a pit bull, Pietock picked up her dog, turned around and started walking to her home about eight houses away.

"I kept waiting for an owner to appear and call for it," she said.

Instead, the pit bull rushed and jumped to get her dog.

"It came after me several times, and I kept spinning away from it," she said.

The pit bull continued, ripping her shirt and shorts. It also bit her left arm just above the elbow.

"It was terrifying, to be honest," she said, fearing if she went down, the pit bull would go after her as well as her dog. "I just kept on thinking, 'Don't fall. I can't fall.'"

Despite pit bulls being the breed with the highest number of bites over the last four years, according to the state Division of Public Health's rabies program, many who deal with animals say these dogs are one of most faithful and safest animals around.

"I have two pit bulls at the house that I got from the shelter, and I have a 4-year-old daughter, and she jumps on their backs, she grabs their ears ... and they've never attempted to harm her at all," said Lou Henderson, the dog manager at Faithful Friends No-Kill Animal Shelter near Elsmere. "It's just a stereotype."

Yet instances with pit bulls happen that don't seem to involve other breeds.

Last month, a pit bull bit off a 74-year-old woman's arm after she entered her daughter's home near Georgetown. Patricia Murphy underwent surgery on her face and left arm and is going to need plastic surgery, her daughter, Debbie Kline, said.

In Philadelphia, a dog bit off the right ear of a 19-year-old woman who was having a seizure, authorities there said Wednesday. Police said the woman was in a home in the Wynnefield section of West Philadelphia when the family dog attacked at 10:40 a.m. The woman was taken to the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania, where she was reported in stable condition. A police spokeswoman said officers recovered the ear, put it on ice and took it to the hospital. The 6-month-old pit bull mix was taken to the Pennsylvania SPCA, where it will be evaluated for 10 days.

But Henderson said news reports about these incidents do not explain how the pit bulls were trained or brought up prior to the attacks.

"People that have pit bulls don't [always] do the right things with them," Henderson said. "They raise them to be fighting dogs or to be mean or stuff like that."

Henderson said he is in favor of Wilmington's law, adding there should be monitoring of pit bull owners to make sure they are handling the dogs properly.

Pietock, who managed to fend off the pit bull by grabbing its collar and choking it, said she still believes the breed is dangerous.

"It just never occurred to me that the dog would bite me," she said, adding she ended up with rabies shots, 20 stitches and $10,000 in medical bills.

Pietock now carries a large metal flashlight in case she comes across a pit bull.

Saturday, October 29, 2011

I RECEIVED AN E-MAIL TODAY FROM A "SUPERIOR THINKER" TELLING ME I SHOULD DO MY RESEARCH: "HAVEN'T YOU HEARD OF THE NANNY DOG? POMERANIANS AND JACK RUSSELL TERRIERS KILL PEOPLE, TOO".....ON AND ON PIT NUTTER SPEAK...IF THIS SUPERIOR THINKER HAD READ FURTHER ON MY BLOG, THEY WOULD HAVE SEEN THE LINKS TO THE RESEARCH PROVIDED....I DOUBT THAT WOULD EVER HAPPEN THOUGH. SO HERE IT IS IN A NUTSHELL AND HERE'S HOPING THAT THEY WILL TAKE THE TIME TO READ THE INFORMATION IN THIS ONE POST FROM OTHER RESEARCHERS.

Archive searches of British, American and Canadian newspapers going as far back as the 18th century turn up not one single mention of "Nanny Dog" with regard to ANY Breed until 1904 when the first stage production of Peter Pan opened featuring a nursemaid dog named Nana. Though J. M. Barrie patterned Nana after his Landseer Newfoundland, Nana has been portrayed by a St. Barnard, and an Old English Sheep Dog in subsequent stage and screen productions. No mention of Nana ever being a Staffie Bull, Not even in Never Land.
____________________________________________________

"NURSEMAID DOG"

So, where is the oldest known reference to the Staffie Bull as a Nanny Dog? In a New York Times article. In 1971, Walter R. Fletcher wrote an article entitled, "A Breed That Came Up the Hard Way" in which he interviewed William R. Daniels and Mrs. Lilian Rant, President and magazine editor for the Staffordshire Bull Terrier Club of America on the eve of the Staffie Bull's being granted permission to be shown in the American Kennel Club's Miscellaneous Class. It's the first step to AKC recognition and the club wanted to polish their dog's image.

Daniels brings up Dickens' villainous Bull's-Eye again and Mrs. Rant acknowledges that the Stafford "had an unsavory reputation for fighting and violence and his name became associated with ruffians, who cared little for him as a dog but only for his ability in the pit. The Stafford we know today quickly becomes a member of the family circle. He loves children and is often referred to as a 'nursemaid dog.'"

Well, there it is. Mrs. Rant, lover and promoter of the Stafford, is clearly speaking in the present tense about the dog of today (1971) currently being referred to as a 'nursemaid dog' in the United States. She is using a variation of the argument that Mr. Lee used 77 years before about the Bull Terrier, suggesting that the Staffordshire Bull Terrier's unsavory reputation as a fighting dog has been left in the far distant past. She harkens back to Dickens again, before the Staffordshire Bull Terrier even existed as a distinct breed. Her contention that Staffordshire Bull Terriers are OFTEN referred to as nursemaid dogs is a little bit of a stretch, too. In 1971, there were 99 registered Staffordshire Bull Terriers in the United States. As editor of the club's magazine, she must have been at the center of all conversation about the breed. It is likely that she either coined the nickname or promulgated it through the magazine, and the term may have gained popularity among those few Stafford enthusiasts who subscribed to her magazine.
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IT TOOK ABOUT 16 YEARS FOR THE STORY TO MUTATE INTO THE "NANNY DOG" OF ENGLAND, HISTORIC FIGHTER AND LOVER OF CHILDREN !!!!!!!!!!!---1987

A timeline search does not turn up a mention of the "nanny dog" until 1987 in an archived Toronto Star article entitled, Move to Outlaw Pit Bulls Under Study in Several Cities.

"Breeder Kathy Thomas, president of the Staffordshire Bull Terrier Association said, 'We're aware of the fighting - there's a lot of it in the Hamilton area. We only sell to family homes.'"

*******************************************

"Thomas, mother of two young children, said her eight Staffordshires are 'wonderful with children. In England, our Staffies were called the nanny-dog because they were gentle with kids.'"

******************************************

Here's where the lie begins to get twisted into its most bizarre and current form and the Nanny Dog myth jumps on the crazy train. The Nanny Dog argument is no longer valid in the way that Mrs. Rant used it in 1971 when the general public was not aware of contemporary dog fighting. By the 1980s, dog fighting had become a generally recognized problem and initiatives to ban pit bulls were beginning. Kathy Thomas acknowledges that there is dog fighting going on all around her in 1987 near Toronto. She can no longer say that the Staffie was once, long ago, in Dickensian England a fighting dog, but has been transformed by many years of selective breeding to be a gentle nanny dog. The dogs are fighting all around her. So, the lie becomes that Staffordshire Bull Terriers were ALWAYS known as nanny dogs. They snuggled with the babies by day, ripped out throats and gutted each other by night and, returning from the fight, snuggled once again with the baby in the pram, this time ripped to shreds and soaked in blood.

It took about 16 years for the story to mutate into the Nanny dog of England - historic fighter and lover of children. But, the myth did not really take off for another 4 years, when Mrs. Rant published her book in 1991, Staffordshire Bull Terriers: Owner's Companion. She uses the term "nursemaid dog" three times and significantly says, " He has a great affection for children, having earned the title 'nursemaid dog' many years ago." (p.117) In this instance, "many years ago" means about 20 years previous, when she first coined or adopted the term.

And how about the history of the term "America's Nanny Dog" referring to the American Pit Bull Terrier or the American Staffordshire Terrier? 5,570 results come up for that query. Again, you cannot find one single citation, source or reference to a text from the 1940s that confirms this assertion. A google timeline search for "America's Nanny Dog" shows the earliest online publication date is September 25, 2007 as an opinion piece in the online publication, Times-Standard entitled "America's Nanny Dog" by Tyla Hafstrom. It is a complete fabrication and an utter lie.

Go ahead and prove me wrong, not with a single primary source, but with a preponderance of evidence that demonstrates the incredible existence of the baby loving fighting dog that was so beloved and so popular in times gone by that it was commonly called the nanny dog.
____________________________________________

Maul Talkers like to point out the single instance since the Big Bang when a pomeranian dog killed a 6-week old baby. The pomeranian phrase is used to minimize the massive number of victims pit bulls have disfigured, maimed and killed since the late 1970s.

Pomeranian Kills 6-Week-Old

September 21, 2001

LOS ANGELES (AP) – A small Pomeranian dog killed a 6-week-old baby while the infant’s caretaker briefly left the child unattended to warm a bottle of milk, authorities said.

The relative, who was caring for the infant girl, found her head buried in the dog’s mouth Saturday night, sheriff’s Deputy Cruz Solis said. The girl died of head trauma at an area hospital, he said.

The baby’s name was withheld because her parents were out of the country and had not been notified, Solis said.

The relative has not been charged. Animal control officers took the dog.

Pomeranians are a breed of miniature canines that have a foxlike face, pointy ears and long, fluffy hair. The deputy said Pomeranian attacks are rare.

“Obviously it doesn’t take much to kill a 6-week old baby but it’s not something that happens with that breed,” Solis said. – http://www.igorilla.com/gorilla/animal/2001/pomeranian.html
_________________________________________________

January 19, 2008 - A 6-week-old Kentucky Infant died from blood loss during a family dog attack, Lexington Police said. the family's 6-year-old Jack Russell Terrier attacked the baby boy when he was left alone sleeping on a bed. http://www.herald-dispatch.com/x808409177

Friday, October 28, 2011

October 28, 2011 - Alvarado resident APRIL UNDERWOOD said Monday that she’s recovering and is OK after being attacked by what she believes to be three PIT BULLS on Oct. 7 although therapy and skin grafts remain ahead.

Much to her relief, Underwood said she recently learned that the dogs, since put down, tested negative for rabies. “I guess I didn’t give them rabies at least,” Underwood joked. Although she laughs now, Underwood said the attack was hardly humourous at the time.

“It seemed like it happened so fast after the first dog that I really don’t know when the other two came in,” Underwood said.

Taking a walk on High Lake Road, as she does most nights, Underwood said she noticed the first dog outside the fence across the street. Underwood said she had seen at least one of the dogs before but that it was never aggressive and always in the yard.

Underwood said she stopped so as not to encourage the dog but then it came closer and began to bark. She tried to move toward the porch of a house but the dog ran forward and bit her leg. The dog continued to bite as Underwood screamed for help and tried to get to her cell to dial 911. From the same yard, a second dog ran out and began to attack her, knocking her phone away in the process, Underwood said.

At that point, Underwood said she remembers being on the ground trying to get away when one of her shoes came off and she began hitting the dogs on their heads with it while still screaming. A third dog joined in at about the time a woman in a red Ford Explorer passed by and began honking her horn. That caused one of the dogs to stop attacking, Underwood said. Some children heard Underwood’s screams and ran to get their mother and grandmother, who came out with a baseball bat to chase the dogs away before calling 911.

Underwood said she later heard that the woman in the truck didn’t get out because she is afraid of dogs.

“I can’t say I blame her,” Underwood said. “But I wish I knew who she was because I’d really like to thank her. She and [the other two] really saved my life.”

The other two women stayed with her, Underwood said, bringing her a blanket and water while they waited for sheriff’s deputies and rescue workers to arrive.

A CareFlite helicopter flew Underwood to Texas Health Harris Methodist Hospital Fort Worth were she spent several hours and received 12 stitches.

“Four in my arm, two in my elbow and the rest in my leg,” Underwood said. “I’m doing better, but my main problem now is my left leg, which I’m still going to need a skin graft and therapy for.”
Underwood said she does not know if the owners of the dogs received any citations or charges. JCSO Lt. Tim Jones said Tuesday that no charges were filed against the owners since they submitted the dogs for rabies testing.

Underwood added that she posted video of her injuries on YouTube.com under the title Bites from 3 pit bulls, but warned that the video is extremely graphic.

"THE VICTIM HAD HIS EARS TORN OFF, NOSE BROKEN, LACERATIONS TO HEAD, FACE, AND NECK. LEFT SIDE OF FACE PERMANENTLY NUMB AND WOUNDS TO HIS ARMS AND LEGS."

October 28, 2011 -Police have arrested a man and charged him with a felony after they say his three pit bulls attacked another man in East Austin, causing him severe injuries.

According to an arrest affidavit filed Friday, Eric Patrick Knox , 50, has been charged with attack by a dog, a third-degree felony. He was not in custody Friday, according to jail records.

The affidavit says that on Sept. 5, Labor Day, a man was walking south on Gloucester Lane near Rogge Lane in East Austin when three pit bulls attacked him without provocation. The dogs were tearing at and biting the man as he lay on the ground trying to defend himself, the affidavit said. Three witnesses attempted to fight the dogs off with sticks and umbrellas, it said, but weren't successful.

When police arrived, the dogs ran back to their home, the affidavit said. The witnesses told police the scene was "horrific" and that the dogs were covered in the victim's blood.

The affidavit said the victim suffered a broken nose and lacerations to his head, face and neck, and had his earlobes torn off by the dogs. The left side of his face might be permanently numb, the affidavit said, and he also suffered wounds to his arms and legs.

He will need reconstructive plastic surgery and other medical care, the document said.

Police discovered that Knox owned the dogs and seized them from his home. The animals were later euthanized, the affidavit said.

Police charged Knox because they say he acted with criminal negligence by failing to secure the dogs, the affidavit said.

Knox has a lengthy criminal record, according to public records. It includes prior convictions for unlawfully carrying a weapon, evading arrest, possessing a controlled substance, burglary and shoplifting.

AUSTIN -- It's a walk that's become tradition for Carnisha Smith and her two-year-old son Nayren.

"Me and my son, we walk to the store almost everyday or I try to take him to the park," said Smith.

A walk she now keeps a much closer eye on after what she witnessed on Sept. 5. The screams Smith woke up to came from a man walking down Gloucester Lane early Labor Day morning. By the time she looked out her window, the man was already on the ground fighting for his life against a pack of pit bulls.

"Three big pit bulls," Smith described. "They were all just attacking his neck and face. That's the only places they were trying to bite at were his neck and face."

Minutes into the mauling, three neighbors tried to stop the attack. An arrest affidavit graphically lists the man's injuries: detached ears, broken bones, and severe cuts covering his body, mostly to his face and head.

"They didn't even react until we started whacking them in the head," said one neighbor who ran to help save the man.

Several minutes after it began, the dogs abandoned the man and returned home, where the owner let the dogs in. Police believe the owner to be 50-year-old Eric Knox. He's now charged with attack by dog, a third degree felony.

KVUE visited Knox's home where police confiscated the dogs. He denied owning the pit bulls, saying he was asleep at home during the attack.

A municipal judge ordered all three dogs euthanized on Sept. 16. As for the victim, police say he is out of hospital but will require multiple follow up surgeries to repair the damage left behind.

Thursday - October 27, 2011 - A brown PIT BULL Tuesday attacked a llama and two goats and was found eating a third goat at a Bagley Drive residence, Anniston police said.

Investigators Wednesday were looking into the incident after the 56-year-old man who owns the residence and the livestock reported the animal attacks to police.

The man told officers that he first noticed a problem when he went outside Tuesday morning around 5 to feed his llama. The animal was suffering from injuries and bite marks to its left leg, a police report shows.

Then the man noticed that two of his goats were missing. He reported that he saw a brown pit bull with a spiked collar running through his yard in the 600 block of Bagley Drive, a street west of Anniston but in the police jurisdiction near Bynum-Leatherwood Road.

As he walked through his yard, the man found one goat with both of its ears torn off and another with severe throat injuries, police Capt. Richard Smith said.

Then, in another area of the property, the homeowner caught the pit bull as it ate the third goat, Smith said.

The man told police he retrieved a rifle from his house and shot at the dog but doesn’t know whether he hit it.

Investigators Wednesday were gathering information about whether the dog has owners and who they are. Smith said the owner could be prosecuted for letting the pit bull run loose, a misdemeanor crime whose perpetrators “shall be fined not less than double the damages sustained by the injured party or parties,” according to the Alabama criminal code.

Persons convicted of the crime can also be sentenced to jail or hard labor for up to six months.

Oct 4, 2010-story #52 (33) -Taylor
At the time of a Very Serious Houston Co
Mauling of 2- yr- old boy
A smaller dog was killed at
same time by the Pit Bull

Oct ?, 2010- story#168 (34) -Harvest
Bullet-obtained from Internet
Lived next door to a Pit Bull
that tore his entire bottom lip off
to the bone-given to TLC-taken to
Family Pet Care-2 surgeries-the gentle
sweet lab mix was saved. I hope he was
adopted and kept far away from any Pit Bulls

Jan 2013 - story #168 (44) -Center Point
Mary Margaret Hampton's Siamese
Cat and Chihuahua Puppy Killed by
The neighbor's 3 PIT BULLS that also
broke through gate on backporch and
attempted to attack her

It shall be unlawful for any person to keep any domestic or farm animal or fowl, including cats and dogs, within the corporate limits of the city in any such manner as will be or may become a menace to public health, or in any such manner as to constitute a public or private nuisance due to insects, vermin, obnoxious odors or - NOISES.

Animal/Dog Control and the prevention of rabies in the City of Vestavia Hills, Alabama, and within the police jurisdiction thereof, is governed by Chapter Four of the Vestavia Hills Code of Ordinances. The City's Code of Ordinances are published in a searchable database on the Municode website:

On July 18, 2005, the City Council adoped Ordinance 2098 to amend Chapter Four of the Vestavia Hills Code of Ordinances. This new ordinance is now in effect.:

Below is a brief summary of some of the key provisions of the City of Vestavia Hills dog control measures. Please refer to the current ordinance for details:

* Yearly rabies vaccination and proper documentation of same is required (collar and rabies tag).

* It is unlawful to keep vicious dogs unless certain requirements are met. Under State Code, owners are liable for personal injury caused by a vicious animal

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* It is unlawful to keep ----NOISY -- dogs that are a public nuisance to ordinary persons in a neighborhood.

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* Dogs are not allowed to run at large - they must be on a leash when not confined to the owner's property.

* Impoundment of dogs found to run at large within the City or its police jurisdiction is authorized by the City.

* The City has established the position of Dog Control Officer responsible for enforcing the Dog Control Ordinance. He/she has the authority to impound animals in violation of this ordinance and may under certain circumstances issue a citation to owners in lieu of impoundment of their animal. The fine must be paid to the City Revenue Department before the Dog Control Officer can release the animal, however. It is unlawful to interfere with the duties of the Animal Control Officer or his/her assistant.

* After hours, and on holidays and weekends, when the animal Control Officer is not on duty, the Vestavia Hills Police Department will impound dogs running at large if it is deemed safe both for the police officer and the dog.

* All Impound ed animals are brought to the Vestavia Animal Clinic.

* When a dog is impounded, every reasonable effort will be made to notify the owner, and to inform the owner of the conditions under which they may regain custody of the dog. A detailed report will be made and a copy posted at the Animal Clinic and at the City's Publ ic Works Facility for five consecutive days. These reports will be kept on file for 3 years.

* After the legal detention period of five days has expired, the dog may be sold to a new suitable owner or undergo euthanasia.

It shall be unlawful for any person to confine, harbor or keep at any place or on any premises within the city and the police jurisdiction thereof any dog which frequently and habitually makes or emits sounds or noises of such volume, nature or extent as to be a public nuisance by reason of interfering with the customary use and enjoyment of property of ordinary persons in that neighborhood.

In keeping with the spirit of communities, persons within the corporate boundaries of the city are encouraged to address concerns of alleged violations of this section with the dog owner prior to seeking assistance from the city.

Complaints regarding noisy dogs must be filed with the Vestavia Hills Police Department. The procedure for abatement of a noisy dog shall be incorporated into this article as follows:

(1)

Upon first complaint to the police department of a noisy dog, the responding police officer shall complete an incident report relating the facts of the complaint to be signed by the complaining party(ies). As it relates to noisy dogs, multiple complaints within a single twenty-four-hour period will constitute a single complaint.

a)

After completing a signed complaint, the officer shall also attempt to notify the owner of the dog to advise said owner that the dog is alleged to be in violation of this section and shall issue a verbal warning detailing the complaint. The responding officer shall also advise said owner that an incident report detailing said complaint will be filed with the police records division of the Vestavia Hills Police Department. Said incident report shall remain on file at the department for a minimum period of two (2) years and that subsequent complaints may result in mandatory mediation and/or appearance in municipal court.

b)

If the responding officer is unable to contact said owner at such time the complaint is made, in such an event, the Vestavia Hills Police Department shall send a written warning in the U.S. mail, first-class postage prepaid, certified mail return receipt requested within ten (10) business days of said incident. The most recent record on file in the Jefferson County Tax Assessor's office shall determine said owner. Said warning shall detail the complaint and advise the dog owner that subsequent complaints may result in mandatory mediation and/or appearance in municipal court.

(2)

Upon a second complaint of a noisy dog within any continuous ninety-day period which includes a prior complaint, the responding police officer shall complete a subsequent incident report signed by the complaining party(ies) upon which the municipal court clerk shall summons both the complaining party(ies) and alleged offending party to mandatory mediation at a date to be determined and set by the municipal court clerk.

(3)

Upon a third complaint of a noisy dog within any continuous ninety-day period which includes two (2) prior signed complaints, the responding officer shall complete an incident report and the complaining party(ies) shall file with the municipal court clerk a sworn deposition and signed complaint charging such alleged offending party with the violation of this section. Municipal court clerk shall issue a summons, which shall be obtained, served and tried in the municipal court as provided by law. Failure to answer summons by the court date as set forward by the municipal court clerk shall result in the issuance of a warrant charging such alleged offending party with the violation as set forth in the complaint. Such warrant shall be obtained and served and the alleged offending party shall be arrested and required to post bond, as provided by law for the arrest and adjudication of offenses involving violations of ordinances of the city and the alleged offending party shall be required to answer to said offense in municipal court. Convictions for violation of this article are subject to the fines and penalties prescribed by the state for a misdemeanor offense, plus court costs.

(4)

At any time, the complaining party(ies) may file with the municipal court clerk a sworn complaint detailing violations of this section to which the municipal court clerk shall issue a summons charging such alleged offending party with the violation set out in the complaint, which summons shall be obtained, served and tried as provided by law. Failure to answer summons by court date as established by the municipal court clerk shall result in the issuance of a warrant charging such party with the violation described in the complaint and summons and shall be obtained, served and tried as provided by law for the arrest and trial of offenses involving violations of ordinance[s] of the city and violating party shall be required to stand trial in municipal court. Convictions for violation of this article are subject to the fines and penalties prescribed by the state for a misdemeanor offense, plus court costs.

(Ord. No. 2098, 7-18-05)

State law reference— Power of city to abate nuisances, Code of Ala. 1975, § 11-47-117 at seq.

UPDATE: VIDEO -A FAMILY WAS GETTING THEIR CHILDREN READY FOR SCHOOL WHEN THE 2 PIT BULLS INVADED THEIR BACK YARD AND ATTEMPTED TO TEAR THEIR LAB, IZZY, APART.....HER BACK PAW HAD TO BE STAPLED BACK TOGETHER AND THE MAN WAS SEVERELY BITTEN !!!

Thursday - October 27, 2011 - A Concord man was summonsed today after his dogs reportedly attacked other dogs in the South End on Oct. 25.

Scott Lewis, 43, of Concord, was cited for four counts of Dog Bites, Attacks Or Preys On Domestic Animal violations and two counts of Dog Was Found At Large violations.

According to the Concord Police Dept., Lewis’ dogs, an American pitbull terrier and a Staffordshire terrier, were loose in the neighborhood on the morning of Oct. 25. The first attack occurred at around 7:15 a.m. near Rollins Park.

According to a report, a woman was walking her dog when it was attacked by “pitbulls.” The woman was not injured but did have to step in and get involved in the situation in order to save her dog from attack. Police report that her dog sustained “serious by non-life threatening injuries” as a result of the attack.

About 15 minutes later, on Brookside Drive, Lewis’ dogs are alleged to have entered into a yard and attacked two dogs on that street.

According to a report, a resident there attempted to intervene in order to save his dogs. One was able to escape but the other sustained “very serious injuries” and was later transported to Russell Animal Hospital.

Officers called to the scene of the second attack reportedly seized the dogs and they remain quarantined at Concord-Merrimack County SPCA.

This is not the first time Lewis’ dogs have caused legal issues, according to the police, who noted, “Lewis had previously been summonsed in regards to similar issues with his dogs.”

NEIGHBORS BEAT THE PIT BULL ON THE HEAD WITH A BASEBALL BAT IN AN ATTEMPT TO GET IT TO RELEASE. LUIS RAMOS WAS ISSUED A CITATION ON A CHARGE OF HAVING A VICIOUS DOG AFTER HE HAD BEEN WARNED PREVIOUSLY BY ANIMAL CONTROL.

Thursday - October 27, 2011 - A Bandon man was issued a $7,500 citation by a Coos County Animal Control officer after his pit bull jumped its fence and attacked a passing dog at about 10:25 a.m. on Oct. 16.

The victim was a small mixed breed dog owned by Pat Reed of Bandon, who was walking on June Avenue near Division Street when the pit bull grabbed his pet by the neck and refused to let go. Reed declined to speak on the record about the incident other than to say his dog wasn’t badly injured and he appreciated those who assisted in getting the animals apart.

The police log indicated that neighbors had beaten the pit bull on the head with a baseball bat in an attempt to get him to release the smaller dog.

The pit bull’s owner, Luis Ramos, 28, of June Avenue was issued the citation on a charge of having a vicious dog after he had been warned previously by Animal Control, Police Chief Bob Webb said.

Ramos had left the area with his dog prior to a local officer’s arrival on the morning of the incident. After his initial investigation, Bandon Officer James Partee turned the case over to Animal Control for followup, Webb said.

Wednesday, October 26, 2011

October 26, 2011 - Austin animal control officials say two pit bulls attacked and killed six goats being raised as 4H show animals at a Northeast Austin elementary school.

The six dead goats were discovered scattered in their pen Tuesday morning at Pecan Springs Elementary. The two pit bulls were also found in the pen. The dogs are now in isolation at Town Lake Animal Shelter, where they are being registered as "vicious."

It's not exactly known how the dogs entered a gated area that contains the pen. However, a hole at the bottom of a chain link appears wide enough for a dog to squeeze through it.

No children had made it to school at the time the dead goats were noticed.

"This is not common. This is not something that we deal with so it was very shocking news," said Lydia Domaruk of Texas Agrilife Extension, the agency that oversees the school's 4H afterschool program.

Domaruk said the students had been raising the goats since September. The animals were expected to be shown at a contest in January.

"We're going to do our best to move forward to make sure it doesn't happen again and to make sure their kids can participate with the animals in the future," Domaruk said.

October 26, 2011 - A pit bull attacked a 19-year-old woman in West Philadelphia this morning, severing her right ear from her head, police said.

The victim, who was not identified, was having a seizure when she was attacked by the family's dog, police said. The woman lives in the 5200 block of Arlington Street in the city's Wynnefield section, police said.

The woman was reported to be in stable condition at the Hospital of the University of Pennsylvania.

A police spokeswoman said officers recovered the ear, put it on ice and took it to the hospital.

The dog was taken to the Pennsylvania SPCA, where it is being quarantined.

"WARRANTS HAVE BEEN ISSUED FOR DEAN SLOAN, THE OWNER OF THE DOGS, THE WARRANT IS FOR DOGS AT LARGE. HE SAYS SOMEONE KEEPS OPENING THE GATE TO HIS FENCE WHILE HE IS AWAY."

EXCERPT FROM A COMMENT IN THE STORY: "The dog's owner lives just across and slightly down the road from Mrs. Hyatt. The dogs in question were not Pitbulls, but are another bully breed. Think white, bully and slightly larger very similar to Uga. And I don't think they are American Bulldogs either"

Tuesday - October 25, 2011 - A Eunice Hyatt is now in the hospital after an attack at her home.

Some of the pictures of her injuries are graphic.

Neighbors had complained about the dogs before, and they say the dogs are vicious and have been terrorizing neighbors for the last year.

Arab Police responded to Hyatt's home around 5 p.m. Sunday afternoon following a 911 call she had been attacked by dogs.

"Her niece was visiting and as her niece was going to the car, she went out with her and they attacked her in her carport," said neighbor Dewalt Willis.

Willis said this isn't the first time the neighbor's dogs have threatened others. He says it's been going on for a year and other neighbors have felt like prisoners because of it.

"Wouldn't let them out of the car... Wouldn't let them on the porch every time they came home," Willis said.

He said he's even had to deal with the dogs as well.

"One got close enough to growl one day, and I shot above his head and ran him off. They're not going to attack my family," he said.

Animal Control Officer Kevin Hooks said the dogs are now in quarantine for the next several days.

Warrants have been issued for Dean Sloan, the owner of the dogs that were quarantined. The warrant is for dogs at large.

The owner said it is unclear if the dogs were his, animal control officer Kevin Hooks said the video from an Arab Police Cruiser indicated that they are.

Sloan said someone keeps opening the gate of his fence while he is away, he thinks it is a neighbor. Sloan said he's attempted to make contact with Eunice to apologize.

October 25, 2011 - Police say a woman and her mother were taken to the hospital after they were attacked by a pet pit bull this morning at their home in rural St. Joseph County.

Police went to the home in the 56100 block of Oak Road, west of South Bend, at about 11 a.m., after the women called police reporting the attack.

St. Joseph County police spokesman Sgt. Matt Blank said the women’s initial story was that an unknown pit bull had broken into their home and attacked both women, in an effort to get the family’s three pet pit bulls.

By the time police arrived, Blank said, that mysterious visiting pit bull had vanished.

Police questioned the women further, Blank said, and they eventually admitted they had been attacked by one of their own dogs.

The women reportedly told police that the dog was having a seizure when the 68-year-old mom tried to comfort the dog. The dog then attacked the woman, causing lacerations on her legs and a fractured ankle.

The 47-year-old daughter told police she was attacked while trying to pull the dog off of her mother. Her injuries include bites and lacerations to the leg.

Blank said the injuries were "severe" but not life threatening, and the women were taken to the hospital.

The St. Joseph County Humane Society was contacted to confiscate the dogs while the attack is investigated.

October 25, 2011 -The West Side owner of a pit-bull terrier is healing from attack wounds, and her pet is in the hands of the Mahoning County dog warden after the animal attacked her over the weekend.

Marisa Bodnar, 34, of Hampton Court, was rushed to St. Elizabeth Health Center late Sunday after calling police when she was attacked by her large, white female pit bull at the family home. Police did not say what her injuries are, but she was able to briefly speak with officers before being taken to the hospital by ambulance.

According to police, Bodnar said she had walked the dog and returned home when the animal attacked her without warning or provocation. Police arrived to find the animal on the front porch, covered in blood and acting aggressively toward officers. Bodnar, through an open window, asked police to call an ambulance.

Officers used a stun gun on the dog, but that was ineffective. Officers then used pepper spray on the animal, which made it stay away long enough for police to get Bodnar out of the house and to a waiting ambulance.

Dave Nelson of the dog-warden’s office came to the house and took the dog into custody. Police noted there were two other dogs inside the house in cages.

The city passed an ordinance in 2006 requiring containment of pit bulls and all vicious dogs in secure enclosures or on a secure leash, annual registration of such dogs with the city health department, and at least $100,000 in liability insurance for such animals. Violation of the ordinance is classified as a first-degree misdemeanor, with a mandatory $1,000 fine upon the second offense.

A man identified in police reports as Bodnar’s husband, 38-year-old Michael Welsh, told police and the dog warden the couple has all the necessary paperwork and insurance for the dogs in the home, but Bodnar has had previous charges concerning dogs.

In 2008, she was charged with misdemeanor counts of having a vicious dog and not maintaining the necessary liability insurance on her dogs. She ultimately pleaded guilty to the charges and was sentenced to one-year probation.

Bodnar also was cited in September this year with multiple counts of prohibition of pit bulls in the city. Those citations are pending in Youngstown Municipal Court.

A 30-year-old South Hazelwood Avenue woman was attacked by one of her pit-bull terriers in March. That woman also had received several misdemeanor citations from city authorities for dog-related issues, including failure to confine vicious animals, failure to obtain liability insurance for a pit bull and dogs running at large.

October 24, 2011 - A 5-year-old girl is in the hospital after she was bit in the face and arm by a pit bull in Yuba County.

Deputies tell FOX40 that around 2:15 p.m. Monday, four kids were playing in the backyard of a home on Pyramid Creek Drive in Marysville, when a pit bull from a neighboring home was able to get through a backyard fence to where the kids were playing.

One of the kids went inside to tell the parents a dog was in the backyard. But the pit bull had already attacked the girl who was a friend of one of the kids that lives at the home. One of the moms quickly went out to bring the kids inside to safety, while the other mom, the homeowner, grabbed a gun and shot the pit bull in the face.

The girl was taken to Rideout Memorial Hospital; no update on her condition has been released at this time.

The pit bull was taken to a vet clinic and is expected to survive. The pit bull owner tells FOX40 that the bullet did not reach the pit bull’s brain. The pit bull will be quarantined for 10 days, as standard procedure when dogs attack people.

Monday, October 24, 2011

October 24, 2011 - Regarding the letter, "Pit bull is an overused designation" [Oct. 9], the writer wants to know why the media immediately jump to the conclusion that the dogs who attacked Shashi Sharma were pit bulls. The truth is that the overwhelming majority of these dog attacks are by pit bulls or pit bull mixes.

This breed is a large, protective animal with a high prey drive. Generally, they are poorly bred, badly trained and not properly socialized. Another factor is that people are developing these dogs with no knowledge or desire to train, raise and work with them.

All dogs can bite, however. I haven't read anything about poodles or Labradors attacking adults, children and our pets.

You don't have to be an American Kennel Club or United Kennel Club judge, or have the dog's DNA, to figure out that it's a pit bull or pit bull mix. Anyone with some knowledge about dogs can look at one and make a good guess about the breed, especially when it comes to pit bulls.

I believe there should be special requirements to own and breed pit bulls. We must respect what's on the end of our leashes.

December 19, 1982 -A Pit Bull viciously attacked and tore the ear and nose off an elderly man. The dog jumped over the fence of its owner and attacked Epifanio Rodriguez, 69, as he was taking a walk near his home about 4:30 pm Saturday. Another man rushed to help him, said Police Officer Oscar Ferreira, and he was bit in the leg.

The Pit Bull mutilated Rodriguez's face, biting off his left ear and nose, and biting his legs and arms. Both his arms were dislocated and his face was all torn up, said Ferreira.

"HE WAS TAKING A WALK. THE DOG CAME OVER THE FENCE AND VERY VICIOUSLY ATTACKED HIM !"

The dog's owner, identified as Esther Estrada, was very upset about the whole thing. the officer said. She told police that the dog had never attacked anyone before.

Monday - October 24, 2011 - An 8-year-old boy was airlifted to the hospital after a pit bull attack on Sunday, a release said.

The dog bit the boy multiple times, the Broward Sheriff's Office release said, but the child's injuries are non-life threatening. The boy was riding bikes with two friends on the 300 block of SE 1 Terrace around 6:40 p.m. when a pit bull came out of a nearby yard and attacked him.

The boy tried to flee on his bike, but the dog bit him and knocked him to the ground, said Broward Sheriff Fire-Rescue spokesman Mike Jachles. His two friends weren't attacked. He was conscious and breathing before going to Broward General Medical Center.

The boy ran into a friend's home, Jachles said, the dog chasing him. His friend's mom managed to fend the dog off and force it back outside.

Deputies got to the area in time to chase after the dog for two blocks and confined it before handing it over to Broward County Animal Care and Control, the release said.

The owner of the dog has been cited with failure to keep her dog restrained, Jackles said. Animal Care and Control will investigate the incident.

Sunday, October 23, 2011

Thursday - May 19, 2011 - Eva Foster said she had taken out the trash Tuesday afternoon at her home on 13th Avenue at 21st Street when she felt unsteady. She was recently released from the hospital after hip surgery. She put her hand on the fence to brace herself, and she said that's when a neighbor's pit bull jumped up and mauled her arm.

The dog left a 4-by-5-inch gash down to the bone.

Melanie Cutshaw saw it from the parking lot across the street and rushed over to give first aid.

"I said, 'Oh my God, the dog bit her,'" Cutshaw said.

Once Foster was in an ambulance, Cutshaw expected city officials to confiscate the dog and its mate. But they didn't because no law was broken. Cutshaw and other neighbors are upset about that.

"I have family members who live in this area and they're elders. These dogs are very, very dangerous," Cutshaw said.

Foster's son said he's worried the same thing could happen to someone else.

"I would like to see them removed. Kids walk through the yard, everything else, this is no place to have pit bulls," said Ronald Foster, the victim's son.

Alice Manis is the dog's owner. She said he has been quarantined. When that's up in 10 days, the dog will go to Tennessee to live with her daughter.

"He is not a vicious dog. He has never, ever bit anyone," Manis said.

But Manis is keeping her other pit bull. She no longer has him outdoors because she said she she's worried about the dog's safety.

"I don't feel my dogs are safe here any more," Manis said. "There was a lynch mob out here last night. A lynch mob. And we won't let them out any more without somebody out here 'cause I feel somebody is going to come by and shoot them. And they don't know my dogs."

Foster underwent surgery Thursday at the University of Texas Medial Branch in Galveston. She told KPRC Local 2 by phone that when she does return home, she'd like for all the dogs next door to be gone.

August 12, 1987 - A Pit Bull owner was bitten 35 times in two separate attacks in her car. Patricia Hollis of the District of Columbia was driving down U.S. 48 toward Clarksburg when her dog, sitting in the front seat with her, attacked her for no apparent reason, authorities said.

Monongalia County Dog Warden, Pete Christoff, said Mrs. Hollis was treated for bites on both of her hands, arms, legs and chest after she drove herself to a Morgantown hospital. A child strapped in the back seat of the car was unharmed.

Christoff said Mrs. Hollis managed to drive the dog out of the car after the first attack. Then the dog ran into the highway and Mrs. Hollis was afraid he would be hit by a car. She then opened her car door and the dog jumped back into the car and attacked her again. The woman then used a club hidden under the car seat to ward off the dog and force it out of the car the second time. The dog was found later and it is expected that it will be destroyed at the woman's request.

Monday - October 17, 2011 - A pit bull was quarantined by Animal Control Monday after it bit a small child of one of its neighbors in a Rock Hill community.
The father of a 5-year-old boy said his son was bitten by a dog belonging to a neighbor one street down Sunday evening, according to a Rock Hill police report. The boy was taken to the hospital and received several stitches.

Saturday, October 22, 2011

LAWYER SPEAKS: "THIS COULD HAVE BEEN AVOIDED IF ANIMAL PROTECTORS OF ALLEGHENY VALLEY HAD PROVIDED PROPER INFORMATION ABOUT THE PIT BULL ZARA'S BEHAVIOR."

October 20, 2011 - Fred Marady talked to Channel 11 on Thursday after his beloved pet was killed at a Verona kennel. He said he dropped off his 3-year-old pug, Josie, at Tail Wags N' At . While in Las Vegas on vacation, the man got a call that no pet owner wants to get.

Marady said he was told that Josie was mauled to death by an Animal Protectors shelter PIT BULL named Zara.

Marady said the animals had been left unsupervised in a play area out back. A worker reportedly told attorneys that Josie was in the pit bull’s mouth when she was found.

********************************

“WE SPECIFICALLY ASKED IF THEY WOULD BE SUPERVISED AND SEPARATED, AND THEY ASSURED US THEY WOULD BE," SAID MARADY.

************************************

Tail Wags N’ At’s attorney Mark Eck said, “The unfortunate death of the dog was a real tragedy for the owners of Tail Wags who have already reached an agreement on compensating the owner for his loss. This could all have been avoided if the folks who delivered the offending dog Zara and who are from Animal Protectors of Allegheny Valley had provided proper information about the dog’s behavior."

"A JURY FINDS PIT BULL OWNER, DAVID SCOTT REYNOLDS, GUILTY OF THE DEATH OF GRACE PARSONS. PROSECUTION LAWYERS HAVE SAID THE CASE MARKS THE FIRST TIME IN KANSAS THAT A PERSON HAS BEEN CHARGED WITH INVOLUNTARY MANSLAUGHTER IN A DEATH ALLEGEDLY CAUSED BY A PET. PEOPLE WHO DO HAVE GUARD DOGS ARE GOING TO BE MORE AWARE NOW OF THE RESPONSIBILITY THEY HAVE TO KEEP THESE ANIMALS UNDER CONTROL."
__________________________________________

October 22, 1983 - Two Pit Bull Terrier dogs that mauled an elderly woman to death will be destroyed and a decision whether to file charges against the animal's owner is being made today a county attorney said.

Harper County attorney Phil Unruh declined to say what charges might be possible against the 19-year-old owner of the dogs, which mauled GRACE PARSONS age 67, on Saturday, as she went out to pick up her morning newspaper.

Police Chief Ed Starks found Parson's body in the front lawn of her home about 8 am Saturday.

THE DOGS WERE STILL CHEWING ON THE WOMAN WHO WAS STILL BREATHING !!!

She died at the hospital about 90 minutes later. A neighbor reported she saw Parsons go outside apparently to pick up her newspaper about 6 am The dogs were impounded and would be destroyed, Unruh said.

ONE IS 2 YEARS OLD AND THE OTHER IS 3 MONTHS OLD. POLICE SAY THE OLDER DOG WAS A TRAINED FIGHTER.

***********************

POLICE HAVE SPECULATED THE DOGS MAY HAVE ATTACKED THE WOMAN BECAUSE SHE HELD THE NEWSPAPER: "There was a newspaper laying on the ground close to an area that was covered with blood," Unruh said. "It was a current newspaper and the rubber band had broken as though there was some activity."

**********************

The county coroner said Parsons had been severely clawed and bitten on her arms, throat and head. Harper is in Central Kansas.

Thursday, October 20, 2011

October 17, 2011 - A pit bull attacked a 29-year old man on North Barry Avenue last night in the Village of Mamaroneck.

Several frantic neighbors called 911 after the dog began attacking the man in the middle of the street. One bystander attempted to distract the dog with a large stick prior to the police arriving on the scene, however, the dog continued its relentless attack on the man, undaunted by the attempts to stop it, said a release sent out by the VOM Police Department this morning. Police shot and wounded a pit bull that latched onto a 29-year old Bronx man on the 400 block of North Barry Avenue in the Village of Mamaroneck (VOM) at 7:48 a.m. yesterday morning and wouldn’t let go.

Even after one officer fired several rounds at the dog, it only seemed to fuel the dog’s fury even more as it charged at the officer.

With the assistance of the dog’s owner and an animal snare, the wounded dog was brought under control and taken to Greenburgh Animal Hospital to be euthanized at the request of its owner.

It is unknown why the dog initially attacked the man.

The victim was taken to the hospital for multiple bite wounds and later released.

ONTARIO'S ATTORNEY GENERAL SPEAKS: "I AM CONVINCED THAT PIT BULLS ARE TICKING TIME BOMBS...INHERENTLY DANGEROUS ANIMALS. HOW MANY LIMBS ARE GOING TO BE SEVERED BEFORE WE DO SOMETHING ABOUT THESE DOGS?"

October 15, 2004 - Calling the dogs "ticking time bombs," Ontario's attorney general announced Friday that the province will be the first in Canada to ban pit bulls.

Michael Bryant said legislation to ban the dogs will be introduced within a month.

Canada's most populous province will allow current owners of pit bulls to keep their pets, but will place an absolute ban on new ownership of the dogs throughout the province.

Following a transition period, pit bulls will have to be muzzled and leashed, along with being neutered or spayed, said Bryant.

Referring to recent attacks, Bryant defended his government's decision to crack down on the pets, saying: "How many limbs are going to have to be severed before we do something about these dogs?"

"We cannot have these animals walking the streets, the fields, or the family rooms of Ontario."

The province will also implement new restrictions and penalties on irresponsible dog owners of all breeds, he said. Under the proposed legislation, dog owners could face jail sentences or fines of up to $10,000.

The government legislation comes in response to numerous pit-bull attacks on Ontario residents, including a number of children. In a recent incident in Toronto, two of the animals continued to attack a man even after police shot them repeatedly.

The man was "practically eaten alive from the ankles up," said Bryant.

Animal activists were quick to applaud the proposed legislation, but questioned whether it would be enforceable.

Liz White of the Animal Alliance of Canada said it's too hard to determine which dogs are pit bulls, since it's a cross-breed that can display many different looks.

In the end, innocent dogs will end up being destroyed, White said.

Meanwhile, Ontario Justice Patrick Deacon ruled Friday a pit bull cross named "Bandit" can be put down. The dog mauled a three-year-old boy last year and left injuries requiring more than 200 stitches.

The humane society had argued Bandit has been rehabilitated but Deacon said there was no guarantee the dog would not attack another person.

Municipalities in the province already had the option of banning pit bulls under the Ontario Municipal Act. The cities of Kitchener, Waterloo, and Windsor have effectively banned pit bulls and placed restrictions on owners.

Winnipeg has had a ban on the dogs since 1990, and other cities across the country such as Vancouver have vicious dog bylaws requiring the dogs to be muzzled and leashed.

THE CODE OF ALABAMA - 1975

Title: 6 CIVIL PRACTICE

Section 6-5-120

Defined.

A "nuisance" is anything that works hurt, inconvenience or damage to another. The fact that the act done may otherwise be lawful does not keep it from being a nuisance. The inconvenience complained of must not be fanciful or such as would affect only one of a fastidious taste, but it should be such as would affect an ordinary reasonable man.

(Code 1907, §5193; Code 1923, §9271; Code 1940, T. 7, §1081

Section 6-5-121

_____________________

Distinction between public and private nuisances; right of action generally.

Nuisances are either public or private. A public nuisance is one which damages all persons who come within the sphere of its operation, though it may vary in its effects on individuals. A private nuisance is one limited in its injurious effects to one or a few individuals. Generally, a public nuisance gives no right of action to any individual, but must be abated by a process instituted in the name of the state. A private nuisance gives a right of action to the person injured.

Use of force in defense of a person.

(a) A person is justified in using physical force upon another person in order to defend himself or herself or a third person from what he or she reasonably believes to be the use or imminent use of unlawful physical force by that other person, and he or she may use a degree of force which he or she reasonably believes to be necessary for the purpose. A person may use deadly physical force, and is legally presumed to be justified in using deadly physical force in self-defense or the defense of another person pursuant to subdivision (4), if the person reasonably believes that another person is:

(1) Using or about to use unlawful deadly physical force.

(2) Using or about to use physical force against an occupant of a dwelling while committing or attempting to commit a burglary of such dwelling.

(3) Committing or about to commit a kidnapping in any degree, assault in the first or second degree, burglary in any degree, robbery in any degree, forcible rape, or forcible sodomy.

(4) In the process of unlawfully and forcefully entering, or has unlawfully and forcefully entered, a dwelling, residence, or occupied vehicle, or federally licensed nuclear power facility, or is in the process of sabotaging or attempting to sabotage a federally licensed nuclear power facility, or is attempting to remove, or has forcefully removed, a person against his or her will from any dwelling, residence, or occupied vehicle when the person has a legal right to be there, and provided that the person using the deadly physical force knows or has reason to believe that an unlawful and forcible entry or unlawful and forcible act is occurring. The legal presumption that a person using deadly physical force is justified to do so pursuant to this subdivision does not apply if:

a. The person against whom the defensive force is used has the right to be in or is a lawful resident of the dwelling, residence, or vehicle, such as an owner or lessee, and there is not an injunction for protection from domestic violence or a written pretrial supervision order of no contact against that person;

b. The person sought to be removed is a child or grandchild, or is otherwise in the lawful custody or under the lawful guardianship of, the person against whom the defensive force is used;

c. The person who uses defensive force is engaged in an unlawful activity or is using the dwelling, residence, or occupied vehicle to further an unlawful activity; or

d. The person against whom the defensive force is used is a law enforcement officer acting in the performance of his or her official duties.

(b) A person who is justified under subsection (a) in using physical force, including deadly physical force, and who is not engaged in an unlawful activity and is in any place where he or she has the right to be has no duty to retreat and has the right to stand his or her ground.

(c) Notwithstanding the provisions of subsection (a), a person is not justified in using physical force if:

(1) With intent to cause physical injury or death to another person, he or she provoked the use of unlawful physical force by such other person.

(2) He or she was the initial aggressor, except that his or her use of physical force upon another person under the circumstances is justifiable if he or she withdraws from the encounter and effectively communicates to the other person his or her intent to do so, but the latter person nevertheless continues or threatens the use of unlawful physical force.

(3) The physical force involved was the product of a combat by agreement not specifically authorized by law.

(d) A person who uses force, including deadly physical force, as justified and permitted in this section is immune from criminal prosecution and civil action for the use of such force, unless the force was determined to be unlawful.

(e) A law enforcement agency may use standard procedures for investigating the use of force described in subsection (a), but the agency may not arrest the person for using force unless it determines that there is probable cause that the force used was unlawful.